6. Resistance Is Futile: Aboriginal Peoples Meet the Borg of Capitalism

Incorporating diverse understandings of Indigenous identity: toward a broader definition of cultural safety for urban Indigenous youth

“…These examples relate how cultural safety or lack thereof might influence youths’ decision to access service, or how youth may fail to disclose their identity because they do not see any evidence that the organization would have anything to offer in line with their cultural beliefs or practices. Our discussion of the result speaks to the important implications for service funding and education or training in the urban context, in relation to Indigenous Peoples’ self-determination (Fast et al, 2016; Fast, 2016; Newhouse & Peters, 2003; Peters, 2011).…”

“…As we already mentioned the problem of “municipal settler colonialism,” we observed how the Indigenous urban community is seen as incapable of participating in decision-making that affects its members, and the governments fail to conceptualize urban communities as having a right to self-determination in programming and policy-making (Newhouse & Peters, 2003; Peters, 2011; White & Bruhn, 2010). It is thus incumbent upon non-Indigenous organizations to start recognizing the self-determination of urban Indigenous-led communities and organizations and building relationships based on this understanding.…”

“It’s not like I’m more Indigenous there and I’m less Indigenous here.”: urban Métis women’s identity and access to health and social services in Toronto, Canada

“…Linked to the themes of connection to land and identity navigation, was the assertion of resilience through adaptability to new environments—the idea that being Métis meant “being able to kind of adapt to any situation” and “trying to make your home wherever you are.” Métis Peoples ability to adapt challenges public discourses that commonly define Indigenous and urban cultures as incompatible (Newhouse & Peters, 2003). As one participant in this research study shared, “It’s not like I’m more Indigenous there [on the land] and I’m less Indigenous here [in the city].” Evidence also confirms that Métis had frequently traveled through colonial urban York (later Toronto) (Thistle, 2016).…”

Resistance and integration: Working with capitalism at its fringes

“…However, results from studies employing non-economic criteria such as conservation effects, health, and wellbeing also do not indicate a clear direction. While a few studies have shown a negative effect, leading to loss of special identity and absorption into the wider capitalist systems (Newhouse, 2001), others have observed that enterprising may indeed strengthen elements of indigeneity (Gallagher & Lawrence, 2012). In general, studies on the impact of practices of market enterprising on indigenous people show mixed results considering multiple criteria (Godoy, Reyes-Garcia, Byron, Leonard & Vadez, 2005;Lu, 2007).…”